Homeless hostel for vulnerable teenage girls in Manchester issues urgent appeal
A hostel that has been open to vulnerable teenage girls in Manchester for more than 50 years has issued an urgent appeal as the pressures of the cost-of-living and housing crisis rise.
Since opening in the 1970s Contact Hostel in Whalley Range, South Manchester has supported over a thousand young girls aged 16-19 at risk of homelessness.
Staff are now seriously worried due to demands on the service and rising costs.
This year alone the hostel needs to raise more than £220,000 to top up its funding from local authorities and continue to provide its services.
Victoria Thomas, fundraiser at Contact Hostel, said: “We get always get around 60 referrals a year and we only have nine bedrooms here. The speed which girls can move out is also a lot slower, they are here for quite a long time.
Adding: “There’s the cost-of-living crisis and the waiting times for social housing is so high that it’s essential that places like this exist to provide safe and secure housing.”
Waiting lists have around 15,000 applicants and in the last two years only three girls residing at Contact Hostel have managed to get their own properties.
Victoria said: “The girls are often fleeing difficult situations like domestic violence and family abuse in the home or have parents with addiction issues. Those issues are still prevalent, but we are also seeing an increase in girls coming from overcrowded homes. A huge number of girls have lived here because there’s no space for them.”
Adding: “We’re also seeing a rise in mental health issues among girls from the fall out of the pandemic and girls struggling with online bullying. Many young girls who are already on the edge financially may find it even harder to afford basic necessities like food, clothing and hygiene products.”
Unlike most supported living providers, Contact Hostel has staff on-site 24/7 to offer personalised one-to-one support, advice and guidance. As well as providing shelter, support workers at the hostel teach residents vital life skills to help prepare them for independent living and support them to get into education, training, or employment.
Victoria said: “We provide everything a parent would. We take the girls out to places like Centre Parcs or Alton Towers and create memories and experiences they wouldn’t get otherwise. The girl’s get a birthday cake on their birthday and celebrate Christmas here. It’s a safe and consistent place for them to call home - everything’s here.”
Contact Hostel is appealing for more supporters to raise donations through the easyfundraising website and app where the hostel is a registered cause.
Once supporters have signed up to easyfundraising and chosen Contact Hostel as their cause the retailers they shop with via the easyfundraising website – from M&S to Just Eat- will automatically donate a percentage of their purchase to the hostel without adding any extra expense to their bill.
To date the Contact Hostel has raised more than £400 in a matter of months through easyfundraising. Support them with every online shop here.